sixthreezero Women's Around the Block vs Ride in the Park | Comparing Bike Models

Hey guys, Dustin here, CEO of sixthreezero. Today I'm joined with Peter, our head of quality control and customer experience, and today we're going to talk about the differences between the Around the Block and the Ride in the Park. So stick with us, here we go.

Okay. I'm joined with Peter. Peter has been in the bike industry for over 20 years. He's from a bike mechanic to a store manager, to a sales rep, to here with us now. Peter knows the ins, the outs, everything about bikes, and the differences. He is going to help me explain the differences between the Around the Block and the Ride in the Park. One thing I'd like to start by saying is we're using the A/O Women's Audrey, which is a very similar model to the Ride in the Park, although a slightly shorter frame, very similar in the riding position, things like that. So we're going to use that in today's video to compare to the Around the Block. Again, Ride in the Park, Audrey, similar bikes to the Around the Block.

So at first glance these bikes may or may not look different to you, but there are some definite differences. The riding position on these bikes is fairly similar in terms of a very upright ergonomic ride. The difference lies in the handlebars and your hand position. On the Around the Block, you're going to be sitting upright, but your hands are going to be more like this, kind of like this position. You're going to be relaxed, kind of sitting in, and the handlebars sweep into the body.

With the Ride in the Park you can see, these are kind of what we would call a mustache handlebar. So you're going to be reaching a little bit forward and out, kind of like here. So it's the difference between here and here, again, still a very comfortable position. Your arms aren't going to feel much tension in this position. This is sort of like an in-between handlebar, in between a road bike and a cruiser bar, and Pete can talk a little bit more about that. The reason for that is really to give this bike a little more versatility in terms of speed and steering, things like that. So, that's one major similarity, both ergonomic riding positions. The difference is the arm positioning. So Pete I'll toss it off to you, and if you want to dive into it and point some things out.

Sure. You know, we do a lot of bike comparisons and this is kind of a fun one because both of these bikes are classic designs. This is the classic cruiser design right here, and then over here, the Ride in the Park/Audrey is a style that you'll see in Europe. It's a kind of a cruiser style or city bike you might want to call it. I would say along with the handlebars that Dusty was talking about, the principal differences are that the Ride in the Park does have the road bike style wheels and tires. This will be a swifter bike. Now they're both fun bikes. They're both good for casual, just cool riding and having fun.

This is definitely more of a kind of a beach scene with the wider tires and maybe hitting a little bit of off-the-path stuff a little bit. This is more of a city bike and it's going to be a swifter bike. If you wanted to take this one for commuting or more fitness and go a little bit faster, the Around the Block does have the cruiser sweep handlebars so you may be sitting a little bit more upright than you are on the Ride in the Park or the Audrey, however, this style of the handlebar, as Dusty was talking about, will give you more agility and more control of the bike as you're going faster.

One interesting fact, the other thing is the step-through heights. I'm not sure if you mentioned that, but on the Around the Block, you still have a step-over frame, but this bar is a little bit higher. On the Audrey you have a much lower step-over height so if mounting or dismounting the bike is easy or hard for you, you may want to choose the lower step-over to make it easier to get on and off the bike. But the other thing I'll point... or, one thing I was going to add about that is so a lot of people ask like, "Why are women's frames the way they are? Why aren't they the same as men's?" The step-through bike came to be in the late 1800s, early 1900s if I remember correctly. And it was because, in that day and age, women wore dresses or skirts more often, so this just allowed for easier on and off of the bike.

In this day and age, it's more just for easy on and off, period, not regardless of clothing. However, if you are a woman commuting in a city and you are wearing dresses or skirts, that probably could be a good option for you, to be able to ride in different clothing. I don't think it matters that much, but again, yeah, you don't want a high step-over height if you do have clothing that's not conducive to that sort of thing. So that's a big difference.

Both do have racks. Another thing is the Around the Block... Now, we're not going to dive too much into the different spec levels because both of these bikes have different spec levels, but the Around the Block's not available in aluminum. The Ride in the Park is available in aluminum. So this one we're looking at is aluminum. There's another version that is steel. But if aluminum is important to you, that is available. It's going to make the ride more efficient. You'll be able to go faster, little less weight. Easier to carry places, up and downstairs, or putting on and off a car rack.

So, yeah, and then aesthetically, I mean, little different colorways. Again, the Ride in the Park also has the teal with white tires, so you're getting a little bit more on the design front with the Ride in the Park than the Around the Block. Does that pretty much sum it up, Pete? Anything else? I mean, the seats are a little bit different too. You've got a little narrower cut seat with the Ride in the-

This a little bit more performance-oriented, which also goes along with the wheel and tire. Doesn't [inaudible 00:05:51] that we have on this bike. That's about it. A lot actually with these two bikes is the look. This one along with going faster, maybe a look that you prefer, or you may prefer the beach cruiser, depending on what you're using the bike for. Sometimes a lot of times that's what can make or break the choice in choosing a bike is the sort of look. This is like a city bike look and this is more of the, "Oh, I'm at the beach," sort of look.

Yeah. The Around the Block's available on a one, three, seven, 21 speed. The Ride in the Park's available in three, seven, 21 speed. So if gears are important to you and you want a single speed, Around the Block would be your best option. So to sum it up, Around the Block, it's good for around the block, pun intended, neighborhood rides, beach rides, really casual rides. The thing is the Ride in the Park is good for all of those things too, but it's good if you're riding in the city, you need agility. Even commuting on this bike is possible with the setup it has-

Sure. Absolutely.

... and the thin tires. If you need speed, you want agility, even if you don't want it, Ride in the Park's good, but if you want the agility or the speed, Ride in the Park's a better choice than the Around the Block. If it's going to be super casual, slower rides, shorter rides, Around the Block's a better option.

If you have any other specific questions, anything we didn't touch on today, please comment below. We will get back to you or you can always reach out to us by email, theteam@sixthreezero.com. You can also call us. 310-982-2877. And don't forget, this is the most important part, take the body fit quiz on our website. Our proprietary algorithm will take your answers about your lifestyle, your body, and suggest a bike that is perfect for you. And here's the kicker. We have a 365-day return policy. In 365 days if you don't love the bike, you can send it back, no questions asked, no money out of your pocket. Thanks for staying with us. And don't forget, it's your journey, your experience. Enjoy the ride.

Take our Free Body Fit Questionnaire